Archive for October 2009

Physically speaking, especially in law enforcement, night vision is a good thing. The thing about night vision is the longer you stay in the dark, the better it seems to get. You begin to adjust and one can even get to the point where the light is uncomfortable.

You know, the same thing happens spiritually. If we stray from God’s presence, get out of fellowship with Him, we wander into the darkness and tend to get more and more used to it.

I John 1:6 says “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

While physical night vision can be an asset, spiritually speaking it destroys our ability to communicate with God.

While we might think we can see pretty well in the dark, and we may see better than others, we can all see better in the light.

My prayer for you today is that you will “walk in the light, as He is in the light.”

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. – 1 Corinthians 2:14

I received an e-mail this week from a friend. It said “I make $300 online with . . . “ and gave a web site. As soon as I saw it, I knew my friend’s e-mail had been hacked. We are close friends and I know he doesn’t go in for get rich schemes and if he had come across a really good deal he would tell me in person not via e-mail.

I was able to discern this because I know him, I know his work ethic and I know his heart. It just didn’t sound like Charlie – someone was using his good name to try to scam me.

In the verse above, we are told many folks get spiritually scammed because they cannot recognize God’s Word. Many folks cannot discern the Word and will of God because these things are spiritually discerned. That means we must know God, we must know His ways and His heart in order to be able know when we hear or read something if it is consistent with His will.

Many folks will use His name to try to scam you.

How do we get to know God well enough to tell when you’re being scammed? Just like we get to know our friends, by spending time with Him (in prayer) by listening to Him (in His Word, the Bible).

“Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World” is David Jeremiah’s follow-up to “What in the World is Going On?” It is not a sequel per se, and I must admit I did not read “What in the World is Going On?” although I did purchase it.

I found “Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World” a very difficult read. It is overstuffed with illustrations, anecdotes and other material which seems forced and actually distracts from the author’s message as opposed to enhancing it.

The message of this work is an important one, and it is this – In spite of the mess this world is in, as Christians, we can live with confidence because of the promise of Christ’s return. That is an important message and one of which we need to be reminded, especially in difficult times.

On October 8th, “Living with Confidence in a Chaotic World”, was number five on the Wall Street Journal’s best selling list in the non-fiction category so, obviously, many folks are buying it.

It almost seems the text was a compilation of sermon transcripts. This seldom works without some editing, and it did not work (at least for me) in this case. As much as I love listening to David Jeremiah teach and preach, I cannot recommend this book.

(I will be posting a few of these book reviews as a member of Thomas Nelson’s Book Review Blogger Program J

“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” – James 3:18 ESV

I came across the following story recently and it reminded of many of the things we teach in leadership. However, it is certainly a beneficial truth for many areas of our lives.

It seems there was a farmer who was well known for his blue ribbon winning corn. In fact, he became somewhat of a local celebrity for his corn growing abilities. Once, a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew it. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.

“Why do share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked.

“Why sir,” said the farmer, “don’t you know? The wind spreads pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”

He is very much aware of the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor’s corn also improves.

John Maxwell calls this adding value to the lives of others. So many folks try to make their way up by tearing others down, it is sometimes easy to get drawn into that way of thinking. However, by adding value to the lives of others, you find the benefits really come back to you as well.

If you want to live well, you must help others to live well. In order to pursue happiness, help others find happiness. The lesson for each of us is this: if we are to grow good corn, we must help our neighbors grow good corn.